"The perfect combo of Nancy Drew meets Pretty Little Liars."

Seventeen.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Here you’ll find answers to some of questions I get about A Girl Named Digit and Click!. Got a question that’s not answered? Let me know!

What do you like better – writing fiction or non fiction?

I had a really fun time writing Click! with my great friend Elisabeth Wolfe. We somehow morphed our minds into one and wrote a book that kept us laughing the whole time. But I have to say that writing fiction is a lot more fun for me. I love the idea of pulling characters and places out of nowhere and making them feel real. What’s better than making something out of nothing?

Where did you get the idea for Digit?

In 2007 I was standing in my doorway with my friend Gretel Dennis. We were talking about a kidnapping in the news and she said something like: what if there was a kidnapping and it was fake, like someone just needed some time away? It was an offhanded comment, but it stayed with me for years as I thought about what it would be like to be in high school and have everyone think you were kidnapped while you were watching the whole thing on TV, safe and amused. When I started to wonder what you might have to do to get yourself fake kidnapped, the story started to unfold.

Are you anything like Digit?

I’m no genius, that’s for sure. And I don’t know if you noticed from my photo, but I’m not 17. But I do like math. And I can be driven to distraction by bumper stickers. And I almost always wear exactly the same clothes in subtly different colors. Unfortunately, I was a lot older than Digit when I learned to embrace my inner quirkiness.

Your inner quirkiness? You seem pretty straightforward.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a kid I wrote stories all the time, always kept a “journal” though almost all of it was made up. When I went to college I studied writing and majored in English and wanted to get started immediately, but my affection for food and shelter led me to get a job on Wall Street instead. I thought I’d be the Super New Yorker – banker by day, writer by night. A starving artist without all that messy starving! Imagine my surprise when I found out that I’d be I working all day and then working all night too. But life kinda steers you back to the things you love if you listen to yourself.

Do you actually use all those positive thinking techniques you guys talk about in Click!?

Every single one of them.

What should I do if I want to be a writer?

Read everything you can get your hands on and write every day. What? You’ve heard that before? Okay here’s a different one: pay attention. There is something going on in your life that is fascinating, and it’s your job to notice it and write about it. The greatest character ever created may be a combination of your Social Studies teacher and your cat – it’s your job to notice it.

What’s next?

I’m working on a sequel where Digit goes to college. She’ll be safe there, right? What could possibly go wrong? (I’m not proud, send ideas!)